Naekusaba Shorts
by Xrangel
Summary: Title says it all. Inconsistent updates, taking prompt requests.
1. Chapter 1

_"So, Mukuro. Are you doing anything this afternoon?"_

Mukuro was just autopiloting through class as usual, robotically going through her motions with no thought or purpose. But then, Makoto, who was sitting in front of her, turned around and sprung this question on her, seemingly out of nowhere. It took her a full five seconds to even process the question. Then, she told him the truth: _"No, I'm not planning on doing anything."_

She never had anything planned. Usually, she just lounged around in her room, and occasionally get dragged off by Junko to participate in one of her crazy plans. It was a pretty boring schedule, but Mukuro was fine with it. At least she had a home, somewhere to be - that was much more than she had expected when she left Fenrir.

It all moved too fast. Mukuro could barely keep up, which was a first. All she could remember from that moment was that her mind suddenly became fuzzy, and the feeling of great anxiety - but also of happiness and excitement. There was one key point that she could remember clearly though; Makoto had asked her on a date.

And that was how she ended up in this situation.

"Don't worry Muku, your sister has you covered!" Junko says, happily applying a heavy amount of makeup to Mukuro's face. The soldier was sitting on a swivel chair, in front of their bathroom mirror. Already, she looked unrecognizable, even to herself.

"Junko, is this really necessary?" Mukuro asks. It took all of her willpower to not bring her hands up and start brushing away all of the makeup - not only did it look weird, but it _felt _weird. It was as if her skin was covered in tiny ants, crawling all over her. "Maybe this isn't a good idea…"

"Are you saying that you would be better off without me?" Junko asks. Suddenly, her voice turned cold and unfeeling. All of the giddiness in her vanished without a trace. "Do you think that a dumb broad like you could do this by yourself? Is that it?"

"N-No, of course not Junko." Mukuro says. "I'm sorry."

"Good. Apology accepted!" Junko smiles and pats Mukuro on the head. Small clouds of white powder flew out of her hair from the contact. "Now, I'm only about thirty percent done here, so stand still and keep quiet!"

Reluctantly, Mukuro obliges. She stares straight ahead at her own reflection as her face gradually became more and more distorted. After a few seconds, she closes her eyes and holds back a groan.

_I wonder if Makoto will even recognize me…_

Mukuro gulps and pushes back her anxious thoughts. Junko knew what to do - she had probably gone on a million dates before. Junko was right - she couldn't possibly handle this by herself. She had absolutely zero knowledge on the world of romance. Hell, she still didn't even know for sure if this was really supposed to be a date or not. Maybe all Makoto wanted to do was to hang out as friends.

That thought struck a chord in her heart. Could it be that she was remembering things wrong after all? Five seconds ago, she was 100% sure that Makoto had really asked her on a date - she vividly remembered that moment. How his lips moved, the nervous look in his eyes, the slight reddening in his cheeks - all of it branded itself into her mind. But most of all, she remembered the words he used after she agreed to meet up with Makoto -

_"Okay then… It's a date!"_

* * *

Mukuro anxiously grips the sides of her chair as she stares at an analogue clock. She had already accidently ripped two holes in the tablecloth before she had enough sense to resort to her chair. According to the hands on the clock, it was currently 5:59 PM. The decided time was six, but Mukuro decided to show up an hour early, just in case. She and Makoto had agreed to meet up here - a nice restaurant that comfort food that was cooked well enough. It wasn't the fanciest place, but the atmosphere was welcoming.

This was a moment that she had only ever thought about. For years, going on a date with Makoto seemed to just be a far away thought, one that she could have only dreamed about. For the few years that they had been going to school together, Mukuro had secretly harbored a crush on him. How could she resist? He was the only person in her life to have ever given her a real smile. Plus, he never treated her like a dangerous bomb that could explode at any moment - he just treated her like a friend, like someone normal.

It felt nice. It _was _nice.

A small ticking noise makes Mukuro flinch. She looks back up at the wall. It was now 6:00 PM. Cautiously, Mukuro looks around. No sign of Makoto anywhere. A sinking feeling started to fill her chest. Why was he late? Did something happen to him? Did he have to cancel? Was this all just a prank? Was he -

Mukuro blinks as someone suddenly enters the restaurant.

It was Makoto. Instead of his normal green hoodie and black jacket, he had on a simple short-sleeved white button-down shirt that contrasted with his usual black jeans. In short, nothing too special.

But to Mukuro, he was a glowing angel.

Makoto looked around the restaurant for a while before his eyes finally settled on Mukuro. He stared at her for a while before his eyes lit up in recognition. But as he started to walk over to her table, an apprehensive confusion filled up his face.

"Hey! Um… Mukuro?" Makoto asks. He sits down in the chair across from Mukuro and gives her a puzzled look.

"Y-Yeah." Mukuro nods.

"Ah. Well, you look nice!" Makoto smiles nervously. His eyes quickly scans Mukuro's body. Aside from the makeup, she was also wearing a long black slit dress that showed off her legs. "Did I underdress? I couldn't find anything fancy in my closet… this was pretty much all I had. Sorry about that."

…

"One second." Mukuro says. Before Makoto could respond, she quickly stood up from the table and speed-walked to the restrooms. She went inside and locked the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she then slowly looked up at the mirror.

_I look like a clown. _Mukuro thinks with a burning shame. _Complete with ridiculous hair, overdone makeup, and red cheeks._

"Alright..." She marches up to the sink and turned on the water. She wets her hands and starts to scrub at her face, washing away the layers upon layers of makeup Junko had put on her. The water was so cold that it seemed to spread throughout her entire body. But it was a pleasant cold, one that felt satisfying, somehow. She brought her hands up to her hair and tousled it, ruining Junko's hair-do.

After some time, Mukuro looks up from the sink. Even after relentlessly cleaning her face as roughly as possible, there were still some traces of makeup on her face. But it was barely noticeable, and that was good enough for her. She grabs a fistful of paper towels and dries off her face.

"Alright." She repeats, dumping the wad of towels into the trash. Another quick look in the mirror confirmed that she looked relatively normal now, save for the fact that she looked like she had just run a marathon.

Mukuro exits the bathroom and makes her way back to the table, where Makoto was still patiently waiting for her. He had a glass of iced water in front of him, and he was taking small sips while occasionally glancing up at the clock on the wall.

"Hey, Makoto." Mukuro sits down in her seat and clears her throat awkwardly. "Sorry, I just… um… had to wash all of that off."

"Oh, it's fine!" Makoto says. "Did Junko put that stuff on you?"

"Yeah…" Mukuro sighs. "Since she's a fashionista, she would know her way around makeup. But I guess that stuff just doesn't really work for me. Sorry."

Makoto frowns. "Why did you apologize?"

"Well, the whole reason why I agreed to use makeup in the first place was for you." Mukuro says.

…

"Huh?" Makoto blinks. "For me?"

Mukuro flinches backwards and covers her mouth with one hand. _Did… Did I just say that out loud? Damn it, why?! Why did I have to go and say that?!_

"Ah, what do you mean by that?" Makoto asks, scratching his chin.

"W-Well, I-"

Suddenly, a woman came over to their table. She had an apron on and was holding a notepad and pen - a waitress. "Excuse me, but are you two ready to order?"

_Saved by the bell! _Mukuro thinks with wild relief. She turns to the waitress with a grateful look. She opened her mouth to respond, but the waitress looks down and suddenly frowns. "What happened to the tablecloth here? It should have been replaced just yesterday."

"Oh, um… that was an accident." Mukuro blurts out.

Her frown curves down even deeper. "You did this?"

Things were happening too fast. The one thing Mukuro wanted to do right now was pause time so that she could get her thoughts in order. Instead, things were piling on top of her, one after another. She wished that she could feel like her life was in danger - at least that way, she would be able to think and react. But no, there was no threat here. Her mind was stuck in a jumpy anxiety, and there was nothing she could do to change that.

So she decided to try out the _one _solution that she could think of at that moment.

A tactical retreat.

Much to the shock of Makoto, the waitress, and even Mukuro herself, she promptly stood up from her chair and ran out of the restaurant.

* * *

_This is a disaster. I ruined it. Why am I even trying to do this? Junko always reminds me that I'm dumb and ugly, so why do I try? I shouldn't be going out with people, trying to have dates and daydreaming about romance. I'm a soldier, and that's all I will ever be. I need to accept that - for my sake, Junko's sake, and Makoto's._

Mukuro kneels down and stares down at her reflection in a pond, unnecessarily picking out every single flaw in her countenance as she does. Despite her attempts to dry herself in the restroom earlier, her hair was still thick and hanging down heavily.

She ran. Just ran, until she got calmed herself down. She didn't know where she was, but that was okay.

_Maybe I should go back to Fenrir. Maybe Junko would let me. God, I miss the wars. I was good at fighting. It was my sole purpose in life, I think. Maybe today was… just the universe telling me that. Yeah. That sounds good. I'll go back. They would welcome me back, I think. I still have friends there, if they aren't dead yet… and even if they were dead, they would welcome me back just because of my talent as the Ultimate Sol-_

"Mukuro?"

A small, concerned voice suddenly breaks through her thoughts. They cracked loudly, like a pane of glass being smashed by a thrown rock. Mukuro jumps up from the pond and whirls around. Makoto was there. He was breathing heavily, and sweat dripped from his forehead - probably from running around to find her.

"... Makoto?" Mukuro asks in a dry voice. "How did you find me?"

Makoto cracks a small smile and slowly walks towards her. "I don't know… I just ran around until I found you. Guess I got lucky."

"Let me rephrase that - _Why _did you find me? I ruined o-our… our… our…" Mukuro frowns and shakes her head. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say it. _Date_. Her mouth just refused to make the motions necessary to say it.

"Date?" Makoto says softly. "You didn't ruin it, Mukuro."

Mukuro gives off a small, hysterical laugh that seemed entirely out of character. "Sure. Sure, I didn't ruin it." She hastily walks past Makoto and drags her fingers through her hair. For some unknown reason, it calmed her - just a little.

"Mukuro, really. All you did was tear a table cloth."

Mukuro sighs heavily and stops walking. Slowly, she sits down on a curb. Despite it only being early night, there were next to no cars, or any other sign of life outside. It was just the two of them.

Makoto sits down next to her. They sat in silence together, neither one willing to do anything. Finally, Mukuro puts a hand on her forehead and says: "I let Junko do all of that stuff to me for you. Because I… wanted to look good. To look pretty, I guess."

"Mukuro." Makoto puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles. Slowly, Mukuro takes her hand away from her face and turns to meet Makoto's gaze. His gaze, so soft and kind, deep enough to dive into. It absorbed her. "The way you are right now… I think that you're beautiful."

…

"Do… you really mean that?" Mukuro asks.

"Well, y-yeah." Makoto blushes and scratches the back of his head.

…

"Look, Mukuro… You didn't ruin anything today." Makoto says. "So, if you want, we can go back. If we apologize, then they'll understand. If not, then I'm sure we can work something out anyway. How does that sound?"

After a slight moment of silence, Mukuro nods. For the first time that day, she manages to bring out a happy smile.

Maybe things would turn out fine after all.

* * *

**Gears112: -Junko setting up/"helping" her sister with a "date" with Makoto**

***A/N* I really cranked up the social anxiety for this one, dang.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, Makoto! Don't make a single sound! Or else there will be _ major _consequences! Major!" Junko winks mischievously at Makoto. Before he could even react, Junko slams the closet door shut, leaving him alone in the dark. The only other things in the closet were Junko's various outlandish outfits.

Makoto was just eating his lunch at the dining hall, when Junko had ran up to him out of nowhere and pulled him out of his seat. Makoto didn't even get the chance to say anything before Junko took off to the direction of their dormitories, giggling like a schoolchild all the while. As soon as they reached her room, she pulled him in and shoved him into the closet with that odd warning.

Coughing, Makoto waves his hand around in the air in front of his face. The closet was completely filled with the aroma of several different perfumes that all blended together to make a single unpleasant scent that seemed to burn the luckster's nostrils. After a few seconds of silence from the other end, Makoto places his hand on the doorknob and cautiously turns it. To his surprise, the door opened - He thought that Junko would have definitely locked it or something.

Before he could get over his surprise, he heard the dorm's door open again. Not wanting to be caught, (He really didn't want to find out what Junko meant by 'major consequences') Makoto quickly and quietly closes the closet door.

"Okay, Muku! We're gonna have a girl to girl chat, just you and me! We never get the chance to _ do _normal stuff like this nowadays, you know?" Junko's high pitched voice was somewhat muffled by the closed door, but Makoto could definitely tell it was her. No other voice could sound so over the top.

_ Muku? _ Makoto thinks to himself. _ Does she mean Mukuro? _

"What is it, Junko?" Mukuro's voice follows afterwards, confirming Makoto's thoughts. Apparently, Junko had decided that it would be a good idea to throw him into a closet and then have a 'girl to girl' chat with her sister. Makoto was sort of used to the fashionista doing random pranks to him, but this just seemed weird.

"I've decided that I'm interested in your social life." Junko deadpans. "So come on, tell me!"

"My… social life?" Mukuro echoes. "Um, okay… I guess. But can I ask why?"

"Really, sis? Why are you hesitating to follow such a simple order? You've done way worse then tell me about your social life before."

"I-I know that, but-"

"Or maybe is it just that you don't have any friends? Is that it? Could it be that absolutely no one would want to be friends with you?" Junk scoffs, voice oozing with contempt. "Maybe it's just that everyone in our class hates you."

Outrage and irritation fills Makoto. The luckster had to physically restrain himself from shouting out 'No, that's wrong!' Something told him that running out and shouting at them wouldn't be the best idea right now. He didn't know why, but every instinct was telling him to remain hidden.

"Junko, I do have friends." Mukuro says in an almost pleading tone. "Really."

"Oh yeah?" Junko says sarcastically. "Who would want to be friends with a cold killer like you?"

"I mean, Makoto is-"

"Ah, Makoto!" Junko gushes. Suddenly, the malicious spite in her voice vanished and was replaced with friendly cheer. "Isn't he so nice? I mean, he's like the class pet! Everyone adores him, right? He's just our little hope boy. But what do _ you _think about him?"

"Junko, I already told you about how I feel." Mukuro says. She seemed completely unphased by her sister's sudden personality change. "About Makoto, I mean."

Makoto couldn't help but feel curious at that. To him, Mukuro was always shrouded in some sort of mystic aura. It was mind-boggling that someone so young could be the Ultimate Soldier. Makoto had seen her fight - her skills never failed to impress him. On numerous occasions, he has tried to get her to open up more, but these attempts mostly ended in failure.

_ Could it be…? Did Junko shove me in here because she wanted me to hear this? Why? _

"Well, tell me again, why don't ya?" Junko asks giddily. Makoto could practically hear the smug grin plastered onto her face. He had a feeling that whatever he was going to hear was supposed to be kept a secret.

…

After a tense silence, Mukuro sighed. "It's… weird. I really like it when we're together, or whenever we talk. I can always feel my heart rate go up whenever he smiles at me, kind of like when I'm fighting in the middle of a battlefield. I'm not in danger or anything, but it almost feels like it."

"Hmmmm, Muku?" Junko asks. "Are you in _ loooovvvvee _?"

…

"I don't… know. But I think so." Mukuro admits quietly. Her voice was so quiet that Makoto was almost sure that he misheard. "I probably am."

Suddenly, Makoto heard her take a shuddering breath. "God, that smile. I feel like I _ have _to be near him… he always gets into some sort of trouble. But I'll always be there to protect him. I have to be there."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Junko muses. "His luck always dumps him into bad situations, huh? Maybe one day he'll get into some _ really _bad trouble… and won't get out of it alive."

"... Junko?" Mukuro's voice suddenly fills with panic. "Did you do something to him? Is this why you brought me here? What did you do to Ma-"

Junko giggles. Makoto jumps in shock - suddenly, her voice was a lot clearer. She sounded like she was just on the other side of the closet.

"Don't _ worry _Muku!" The door in front of Makoto slowly creaks open. Makoto felt Junko grab his hand and pull him out to the open. He squints as the harsh light of the room fills his eyes. "Makoto's just fine. See for yourself!"

…

"Right. Well, I'm going to leave you two here alone for a bit. I'm gonna do something. See ya!" Junko grins and waves goodbye to the both of them. She skips over to the door and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.

…

"Did you…" Mukuro starts. Her face was red and unbelieving. "Hear… that…?"

"S-Sorry, but… yeah, I heard what you guys talked about." Makoto says sheepishly. His face was just as red as Mukuro's. He wondered if this was some sort of prank that Junko was pulling on him, with Mukuro as an actor. At any moment, Junko could pop back in, and say '_ Fooled ya!' _

He wondered, but he didn't think. He didn't think that it was some sort of joke.

"Okay, okay." Mukuro takes a deep breath and sits down on Junko's bed. "F-Fine. That's fine."

Makoto finds himself completely dumbfounded by how _ vulnerable _she looked. He didn't think that he would ever use that word to describe her - not in a million years. Guilt makes its way into his heart as he stared at the nervous soldier sitting in front of him. Like it or not, Makoto had to admit that he had eavesdropped on her.

_ Junko forced me in here… But I could have just stepped out whenever I wanted to. I share just as much blame as she does here. So how should I fix this? _

_ … _

"Makoto?"

"Y-Yes!" Makoto jumps, caught off guard. "I mean, yeah?"

"How do you feel… about me?" Mukuro asks quietly. The way she asked it would have made you think that her life was dependant on Makoto's answer. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. "I don't want to keep having these _ thoughts _in my head. I don't want to spend the rest of my years at Hope's Peak with doubt and anxiety in my head. So please, Makoto. Tell me - What do you think of me?"

"What I think of you?"

Mukuro said nothing else. She just shifted her gaze to the ground and patiently waited for his answer.

Makoto closed his eyes and thought. How _ did _ he feel about Mukuro? If he were to be perfectly honest, then he would say that he hadn't given it too much thought. All he had ever focused on was making platonic relationships with his classmates. The thought of being in a _ closer _relationship with someone was a foreign concept, albeit a somewhat enthralling one.

Makoto opened his eyes. He took one look at her and decided that she wouldn't accept anything but the truth. So that's what he told her.

"Mukuro… I think that you're an amazing person. You've helped me a countless number of times, and if it weren't for you, I might not even be here today. That's not just me either - You have helped others in our class too. You're irreplaceable, and a really great friend."

"A friend?" Mukuro asks. A look of obvious disappointment fills her face, along with some bitterness. "I guess that's the best someone like me could ask for."

"Mukuro, I'm not finished." Makoto says gently. "I won't lie - I haven't really thought about… well, romance. I don't have any experience in it either. I don't know _ exactly _ how you feel about me either, but if you want to… erm… _ have a closer relationship _ , then… I'd be happy to give it a shot. Give _ us _a shot."

Mukuro looks up at the luckster with a confusion in her eyes. It was quickly replaced with shock, then hope. Slowly, she stood up from Junko's bed. "Do you really mean that?"

Makoto blushed slightly as Mukuro continued to look into his eyes with intense attentiveness. She seemed to be peering directly into his soul.

"Yeah. I do mean th-"

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Mukuro jumped forward. She gripped both of his shoulders with frightening strength and leaned forward. They were so close that their noses were nearly touching. For a moment, they continued to look at each other in sudden silence. Then, Mukuro closed her eyes, tilted her head, and promptly kissed him.

It only lasted for about a second, but still managed to hit him like a truck. When Mukuro stepped back, he felt so dizzy and lightheaded that he could have fallen right over. Somehow, he managed to keep his balance though.

"Sorry, um… Was that too sudden?" Mukuro asks, face flushed. She had a hesitant, nervous smile on her face that seemed all too innocent. "I've kind of always wanted to do that."

"You know, t-that felt a lot more intense than I thought it would." Makoto says, mirroring Mukuro's expression with a nervous smile of his own. His heart was pounding so hard that he wouldn't have been surprised if it had just exploded, right then and there.

…

"Can we do it again?" Mukuro asks. "Longer, this time."

Makoto answers by moving in closer to Mukuro.

This time, _he_ kisses her.

* * *

**CS Soldier 97: Here is something that occurred to me.**

**Junko forces Naegi to hide in her bedroom closet. Junko invites ikusaba to speak in his room (if it is not clear we are in Junko's room). Ikusaba doesn't know that Naegi is hidden and hearing the two twins. Junko starts talking to Ikusaba about his crush, and Ikusaba starts talking about what he likes about Naegi. After a while Ikusaba leaves and Junko lets Naegi out who has to deal with what I hear.**


	3. Chapter 3

Mukuro stared at her bed in disbelief. Or rather, she stared at the spot where her bed used to be. Then, she shifted her gaze to the rest of her room. She blinked a few times and then pinched herself. Nothing changed.

The bear traps were still there. Hundreds of bear traps were optimally laid out around her entire room. Every single square inch of the carpet was covered up with razor sharp teeth that grinned up at her, glistening in the light of the room. She could tell that they were real. If she were to even take a single step forwards, then a trap would instantly snap shut on her foot, crushing her skin, flesh, and bone into a gnarled mess.

_ *boing* _

Mukuro jumped slightly as a cartoonish sound effect echoed out through the hall behind her. She swiftly turned around, and was greeted with a familiar monochrome bear with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well, well, well!" Monokuma guffaws. He rubbed his chin between his pointer finger and thumb as he waddled past Mukuro and into her room. "This is quite a situation, don't you think? Bear traps, everywhere! There are even some glued onto the ceiling! If I didn't know better, I would say that you were trying to get rid of me! Puhuhuhuhuhu!"

"Junko, what's this about?" Mukuro asks. "Why did you put all of this stuff in my room?"

"You're _ accusing _ lil' old me?" Monokuma sadly hangs his head. "I thought that our bond of trust was stronger than this! I didn't go around accusing _ you _ when I saw these _ bear _traps, did I? Why am I being singled out here?"

Mukuro sighed. "Junko. Just tell me what's going on here. Also, try to hurry. Someone might walk into us."

"Alright well, bottom line is…" Monokuma pointed one of his paws towards her room, and towards the legion of bear traps. "It's going to take me around a day to remove all of those things, you know? And the school regulations say that a student can't sleep outside of a dorm room, so… you're going to become someone's roommate! Think of it as a reward for being so obedient."

"What?" Mukuro frowned. "How is that a reward? Junko, can't you just make an exception? I can sleep in the supply closet or something, where I can't be fo-"

"Hey, remember what I said to you." Monokuma interrupts. But instead of his usual whimsical voice, there was Junko's. Mukuro was surprised to hear that she sounded almost serious, as if this situation was life or death. "You're technically a participant in this game. The regulations will apply to you, just like they would to everyone else."

"..."

"Annnnnyway!" Monokuma clears his throat and in a blink, his voice returns to normal. "This is a reward because of who your roommate is! Until tomorrow, you will be sleeping with Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Luckster!"

"Makoto?" Mukuro blinks. "Wait, what?"

"See ya, sis! Better hope that Makoto's still awake! Puhuhuhuhuhu!" Monokuma laughs hysterically and skips away from the shocked soldier, rounding a corner and vanishing from sight.

"... Damn."

* * *

_ *knock knock knock* _

Mukuro only had to wait five seconds before the door creaked open. She found herself with the luckster, who was still managing to look bright and chipper, despite the hour and killing game.

"Oh, Junko!" Makoto smiled and raised his hand in a greeting. "What are you doing out so late? Do you need something?"

"Ah, yeah…" Mukuro shifted her feet awkwardly and looked down."The thing is, Monokuma said that… erm, that I need to sleep in your room tonight. For some reason, he put a bunch of bear traps inside of mine, so I can't really… well, sleep there."

"Bear traps?" Makoto blinks.

"I can show you if you don't believe me." Mukuro says quickly. "I know that this sounds suspicious and all, but it's the truth."

"Well, he's crazy enough to trap us all in here for a killing game, so I wouldn't really put anything past him." Makoto says. He takes a step back and opens his door wider, inviting Mukuro in. "Come in."

"R-Really?" Mukuro gapes. That was _ way _too easy. She knew that Makoto could be trusting to a fault, but this seemed ridiculous. He wasn't stupid - he must know the stakes of letting someone else sleep in his room. "You're just going to take my word for it?"

Makoto shrugs. "You said that you were willing to show me your room, right? Then I don't really see a reason to doubt you. Besides, we all have to trust each other to get out of here."

After a moment of hesitation, Mukuro slowly walked into his room, stopping next to his bed. It was unmade. Makoto trailed after her, closing the door behind him. It clicked softly, but seemed to echo loudly within Mukuro's ears. "It's already night, so I'm just going to get some sleep, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. In fact, I'd like to go to sleep myself" Mukuro replies. "Even if I did mind, it's _ your _room. It's not like I have any right to argue with you."

"Ah, I guess you're right." Makoto smiled sheepishly. He flicked the light switch off, instantly covering the entire room in complete darkness. Even with Mukuro's heightened senses, she could only barely see Makoto's figure. He had one hand on the wall, and was slowly guiding himself towards his bed.

_ Sleeping with this dang wig on is going to be annoying. _ Mukuro thinks as she sat down on his bed. _ But I've slept in worse conditions. _

Right as Mukuro was about to lie down, she saw that Makoto had stopped. He was about two feet away from her, just next to his bed. To her shock, he laid down on the floor and tucked his arms behind his head. "Makoto, what are you doing?"

"H-Huh?" His silhouette rose to a sitting position. "What? Is something wrong?"

"Why in the world are you sleeping on the floor? Use your bed."

"O-Oh." Makoto says. "But aren't you using it?"

"So?" Mukuro asks. A small blush began to rise in her cheeks. Thankfully, the room was so dark that there was no way that he would be able to see it. "Come on, Makoto. If anything, I should actually be the one on the floor."

"W-Well, I just… didn't think that it would be, erm… right, for us to sleep together." Makoto says hesitantly. "Really, I don't mind sleeping on the floor, but I would mind if _ you _slept on the floor. I would just feel uncomfortable all night, knowing that you we- AH!"

Makoto yelped as Mukuro grabbed him by the arms and practically yanked him off the floor. With a sense of haughtiness, she placed his body on the bed next to her. At this point, her face was so red that she wouldn't have been surprised if Makoto could feel the wave of heat emanating from her.

"L-Look, you don't have to make a big deal out of it, okay?" Mukuro says. It felt like her entire face was on fire. Pins and needles popped up all over her scalp. She didn't know whether or not she should be thankful or upset that Junko dumped her into this situation.

…

"Erm, Junko? Is everything alright?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mukuro asks.

"Well, you've been acting kind of weird since you've come to my room." Makoto says. "I can't exactly put my finger on it, but… It's like you're a different person or something."

Mukuro suddenly sat straight up in surprise. She cursed herself inwardly for her stupidity. That's right - she was supposed to be Junko. None of this was part of the script. She could have probably improvised her lines, but the absurdity of her situation caused her entire disguise to slip her mind.

"That's… I-I…" Mukuro stammers. What could she say? What if she just froze, and her entire disguise was compromised? That would ruin Junko's entire plan.

"Junko?" Makoto sat up as well. Though they couldn't see each other, Mukuro knew that he was facing her from her voice.

"The killing game!" Mukuro suddenly blurts out. "I-I mean, i'm just kind of stressed about it, you know? I guess I just decided that, like, I should try to take things more seriously. I know that everyone thinks I'm just an airhead, but even I can do something like that, you know?"

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." Makoto says. "I've been trying to keep calm about it myself by keeping positive, you know? We all need to trust each other in order to get out of here alive. That's why I need to believe that no one here would resort to killing."

"Trust each other?" Mukuro echoes. A small bead of anger began to form in her head. "Makoto, don't be so naive. We're all practically strangers here. If I wanted to, I could kill you and leave little to no evidence. I know that you have good intentions, but you need to realize that we're still in a real, genuine killing game."

"Junko, I believe - no, I _ know _that we're all going to get out of here alive." Makoto says. "Really, I trust you. I don't think that you, or anyone else here would want to murder me."

"That's not the point!" Mukuro snaps. How was it possible that he could act so kind, even with his memories removed? How was it possible that he could act so kind, even when his life was in danger? It didn't make sense. She wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into him. "Makoto, _ please _. I don't want you to be killed because of your kindness."

Ever since Junko brought up her plan of the killing game, Mukuro decided from the start that she would be rooting for Makoto. Once Junko ejects her from the game, she would do anything she could to keep him alive… even if it meant sneaking behind her sister.

But deep down, Mukuro knew that he couldn't win. He was the purest one here - a puppy among a pack of wolves. He wouldn't kill anyone, not even to save himself. She couldn't let the thought linger in her head though. Every time she thought about Makoto's chances of victory, it felt like her soul was being crushed. She had to believe that Makoto could win, even if it was just false hope.

But now, reality had caught up to her. How could this trusting person in front of her possibly win this killing game?

"Junko." Makoto says quietly. "Nobody's going to get killed, okay? If anyone gets killed, it's probably going to be because of that bear."

_ That would be the last thing Junko does _ . Mukuro thinks bitterly. _ If only you knew that. _

"I'm sorry… Makoto. You aren't going to live through this… not with that mindset." Mukuro says. Each word tightened the vise around her heart. This was admission - she was admitting that she would see him die, and there would be nothing she could do about it.

"You're wrong. Just watch. With enough hope, anything is possible… Even escaping a killing game. We just have to trust in each other!" Makoto says firmly. His voice sounded so solid, so _ confident _. Yet it only sent another bolt through her heart.

Would Junko let Makoto live? Maybe if Mukuro asked, she would.

_ No. You not that's not true. _

"Why?" Mukuro whispers. She brought her shaking arm forwards and grabbed his hand. She felt him jump slightly in surprise, but he made no efforts to pull away. "Why do you have to be like this? Makoto… Can't you be selfish? For once in your life? You're going to get hurt, you know… and I won't be able to stand seeing you get hurt. Just because of your hope."

"J-Junko?" Makoto stammers. She might have gone a bit too far - like she said, they were strangers. Or rather, they were _ supposed _ to be strangers. She almost wished that that really was the case.

"Just… don't be careless, okay? You can't count on anyone to protect you here." Mukuro says. God, how she wished that wasn't true. If she were a normal participant in this killing game, then maybe Makoto could be kept alive.

"... Junko. Everything's going to be okay. Try to have some hope yourself, alright?" Makoto moved closer and put his second hand around hers.

…

"I'll… I'll try." Mukuro finally says. Slowly, she pulls her hands away from Makoto and lays back down on the bed. After a few seconds, she hears Makoto do the same.

Tomorrow, Junko would unleash her first motive. Then, after the first killing, she would be ejected from the killing game and become nothing more than a spectator. For all she knew, Makoto could become the first victim, and there wasn't much she could do to stop it.

_ "Think of it as a reward for being so obedient." _

…

Mukuro slowly snaked her arm over to Makoto. Her hand bumped into his shoulder. She brought her other hand over and carefully wrapped them around his arm. She felt his body become rigid, but he didn't move away or make any protests. After a full minute of hesitation, Mukuro brought her head down, resting it on his shoulder and pulling herself closer to him. A wave of drowsiness overtook her as his comforting warmth spread across her body.

Mukuro closed her eyes. _ Thank you, Junko. This is… nice. I guess. _

She fell asleep only a few minutes later.


	4. Chapter 4

"For these sessions, our relationship should be on a student-teacher basis." Mukuro says in a dead serious tone. Her cold, sharp eyes made her really look like the Ultimate Soldier. But under that stony, emotionless exterior, there was a kind and lovable person - Makoto knew this from firsthand experience.

To put it in simple terms, they had been together for about a month now.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Makoto says, nodding his head. He had gone through several close calls with the Yakuza after somehow finding himself at the heart of one of their hideouts. It was only because of Mukuro that he was able to escape with his life. After that, he decided that it might be best to learn self-defense, in case he found himself in trouble without Mukuro by his side.

"Before we start…" Mukuro turns and gestures to her dresser. On it were several knives with various different shapes and sizes. Just looking at them made Makoto's stomach lurch. He couldn't help but wonder if any of them had ever been 'used' by Mukuro before. "Are you sure that you don't want to learn with weapons? Martial arts are a good form of self defense, but limited. Besides, they aren't exactly my specialty."

"I don't think that I'd be great with weapons." Makoto shrugs. "I wouldn't carry around a knife with me at all times anyway. It would just make me nervous."

"Okay, well…" Mukuro's eyes glaze over and she puts a hand on her chin. After a few seconds, she blinks and nods. "I think that you would be best fitted learning Brazillian jiu-jitsu. It's good for self defense, and can work well even if your opponent is bigger than you."

Makoto grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. "That would be pretty much everyone, huh?"

Mukuro's stone mask cracks as she breaks into a small smirk. "Even counting your ahoge, you would still be shorter than students in junior high."

"That's uncalled for… but true enough."

"Hey, that's not a bad thing, you know." Mukuro says, now sporting a fully fledged smile. She steps closer to Makoto and places her hand on top of his head. "Your height is one of the reasons why you're so cute!"

"M-Mukuro!" Makoto protests. He reaches up and gently pulls Mukuro's hand down from his head. "Aren't we getting a bit side-tracked?"

"Oh… I forgot." Mukuro clears her throat and backs away from Makoto. "Student-teacher relationship. Sorry."

After a slight moment of hesitation, Mukuro drops to the floor and pulls something out from under her bed. It looked like a large, red carpet that was made entirely out of glossy rubber. Makoto took a few steps back as Mukuro spread it flat across the floor.

"It's a wrestling mat." Mukuro says, before he could even ask. "I took this one from the gym this morning so that we could practice on it."

"Erm, did you ask if Kaito was going to use it?" Makoto asks. The gym was being occupied by Kaito Momota, along with some of his friends from the 79th class. Since they booked it before Mukuro could, they had to resort to training in her room.

"They have a ton of other mats in the storage room, so it's fine." Mukuro says. She kneels on the mat and gestures for Makoto to do the same. "Anyway, the first move I'll teach you is something called the side control. Here, let me demonstrate. Lie down on your back, face up."

"Um, okay…" Makoto says.

With no warning, Mukuro suddenly laid herself over Makoto from his left side, earning an involuntary yelp of surprise from the luckster. She put one arm over his shoulder and put her other arm under his armpit to link both of her hands together. It ended up looking like a sideways hug that almost formed a cross.

"... From this stance, I'm free to proceed with a large number of submissions." Mukuro says, after a small pause. "The options that you have here to escape are also very limited."

"R-Right." Makoto gulped and tried not to focus on how warm and soft her skin felt. He also tried to ignore the fact that she was wearing nothing but a sports bra and yoga pants.

"I'm also free to… erm, transition into a mount, which is another favorable stance." Mukuro says. She unlocked her arms and quickly brought one of her legs over to Makoto's side. She lined up her other leg so that she was in a sort of kneeling position, with Makoto's chest below her.

"Okay…" Makoto says, in a voice barely above a whisper.

Mukuro's face quickly grows red. "N-Now, I can generate considerable momentum to… uh, strike you in any way I want, whether with my fists… um, elbows… whatever."

Makoto only continued to stare up at her, with a furious blush spreading across his cheeks, mirroring Mukuro. In turn, Mukuro stared down at him, all words lost. After a tense moment, Mukuro silently stands up and staggered backwards. At the same time, Makoto rose from the ground.

…

"W-Well…" Mukuro stammers. "A-Anyway, next I-"

That was as far as she got before Makoto took a step forward and brought his lips to hers. The kiss only lasted for about three seconds before he abruptly pulled away, leaving Mukuro with a glazed, dreamy look in her eyes. "Sorry Mukuro, I just had to… um, get that out of my system I guess. I know we said that -"

"Never mind with that." Mukuro says bluntly. She grinned and pushed Makoto on the chest, though not roughly. The luckster let out a small gasp of surprise as he fell backwards and onto her bed. "We can do that later, when the gym is free."

"M-Mukuro, what are you…" Makoto's voice suddenly dries up as he took a good look at Mukuro. Despite the lack of any exercising, her face had become red, and beads of sweat had appeared on her neck. But what really made him stop and stare was her eyes. They seemed to be completely clouded over. Her pupils were unfocused, yet somehow still seemed to be staring straight into his eyes.

Mukuro let herself fall onto her bed, next to Makoto. She reached over and wrapped her limbs around his body, trapping him in a hug. The luckster shivered as a strange, yet comforting chill ran up his spine. With no warning, Mukuro placed her lips onto his.

They had kissed many times before, but this one seemed more intense, somehow. Her warm body wrapped around his made his mind felt like it was melting. Everything about their training left his mind with no hesitation. All that mattered right now was this soldier in front of him, and how sweet her lips were.

Finally, after a full minute, Mukuro pulls away. Her face was flushed and she was gasping for air, mirroring the luckster below her. Mukuro smiled nervously. Then, she snaked her arm up Makoto's shirt - it was a plain white T-shirt that he had on instead of his usual hoodie. The feeling of her hand on his chest sent jolts through him.

"M-Mukuro. You…"

...

"Makoto, can w-"

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

Both of them jumped up from the bed, heads turning to the door. They looked at each other, with a numb sort of surprise on their faces. Hesitantly, Mukuro walked to her door and slowly pulled it open.

"Hey! What's up?" A loud, energetic voice immediately fills the room. Somehow, even in his confused state, Makoto managed to recognize it - Kaito Momota, the Ultimate Astronaut. "You're the person who wanted to use the gym, right?"

"... Right." Mukuro replies tonelessly.

"My friends and I finished up our training! So if you want, you can use the gym now. Just thought that I should come over and tell ya that." Kaito says. "Well, see you!"

Mukuro nods without responding and closes the door listlessly. She looked back to Makoto with a neutral look, as if nothing had happened only thirty seconds ago. Still though, he could see the faint remains of a blush dusting her cheeks. "Makoto, the gym's free…"

"Y-Yeah, I guess it is." Makoto scratches the back of his head awkwardly. "Um, you want to-"

"Sure, let's go." Mukuro says. She opens the door again and motions for Makoto to follow with her hand.

He lets out a small sigh and trails after her. Somehow, he was sure that they wouldn't do much of anything today.

* * *

**DarkDesperado25:** **Mukuro trying to give Makoto some self-defense but having a lot of trouble focusing because of being close to Makoto and him being all cute and soft, maybe with him being unaware or with them dating and being a bit 'affectionate' but interrupted before getting too far.**


	5. Chapter 5

_ *BANG* _

Mukuro sighs and puts her pistol back in her holster. At the same time, the man in front of her dropped to the ground, joining the other corpses around them. He looked young - if she had to guess, the person she had just killed was only eighteen, at most. It always left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth whenever she killed other mercenaries, especially ones as young as this one. Just a minute ago, he and his allies had been filled with vigor and determination. Now, they all lay dead, bullet holes covering their lifeless bodies.

They probably thought that they would soon return home, pockets filled with enough blood money to support their families. Even if they died, surely they would be given decorated funerals and honored as brave soldiers. Instead, they died in an inconsequential skirmish that would never even be recorded. In fact, it's a high possibility that their bodies wouldn't even be recovered, not out here. Was it tragic? Probably, Mukuro thought. But it wasn't her problem. They all knew what the risks were in the battlefield.

Mukuro suddenly narrows her eyes as she notices a figure ahead of her. The figure in mention seemed to be a person, but they were far away enough that she couldn't even tell if they were a boy or girl. Was it an enemy soldier? Probably not - for the entire duration of her fight, the person didn't do anything besides just _ stand _there.

So, a civilian? She didn't think that was likely either. For miles around, there was only a dead, deserted landscape, like something straight out of an apocalyptic movie. The only things out here were the small Fenrir camp that she had been sent from, random groups of soldiers, and the occasional ruined building. She had been sent to scout out what seemed to be an abandoned cabin for the slim chance that there were supplies, only to find it filled with hostiles. What would a civilian be doing out here?

Whatever the case, this person seemed to be approaching her. Slowly but surely, their image grew bigger until Mukuro could begin to make out some features. _ He _was wearing a ragged suit and tie that was almost comically out of place. A brown satchel with a large 'peace sign' sticker plastered on it was adorned to his hip, which only added to his strange appearance. She couldn't even remember the last time she had seen a peace sign.

But to Mukuro, the most striking feature was the brown ahoge sticking up from head, like an absurd antennae. It was almost enough to make her laugh. Almost.

"Hey!" He shouted, waving a single hand up in the air as a greeting. "Can you help me out?"

Mukuro didn't respond - she only continued to stare at him as he slowly moved closer to her. Her arms grew tense, and she prepared to pull out her firearm at any moment. Despite the large peace symbol on his satchel, she was almost sure that this was some sort of trap. Even with that possibility looming over her head, she couldn't help but feel a strange sort of curiosity.

"Hello?" The man, now only a few feet away from her, slowly came to a stop. "Hey. I'm kind of lost right now, and I was hoping that you could help me make my way out of this place?"

Mukuro continued to stare at him with a growing sense of confusion. Lost? Out _ here _? As far as she knew, the wastelands that they were standing in didn't even have an official name. On top of that, there were several conflicts happening nearby. Some small countries were using mercenary groups to raid each other as to ensure that war isn't 'officially' declared. As far as she was concerned, only soldiers of fortune would end up in this place.

"Oh, maybe you don't speak English?" He suddenly says. "Do you know Japanese? That's the only other language I know, so-"

"No, I speak English." Mukuro interrupts. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I kind of forgot to introduce myself, huh? Well, I'm a journalist in training. As for why I'm here…" He sheepishly scratches the back of his head. "Well, like I said, I'm lost. I had a bike that I was riding around in, but one of the tires deflated so I had to abandon it."

"... A journalist?" Mukuro echoes.

"Yeah, I don't live that far away from here… I think." He says. "I heard some faint popping noises, which kind of sounded like gunshots. That kind of stuff could make for a good story, right?" He grabs his bag and held it up for Mukuro to see. "I also stuck on this peace sign on my bag so that if they _ were _ gunshots, people would know that I wasn't trying to hurt anybody."

"I… see." Mukuro says. She had seen war journalists and photographers from time to time, but only when she had been hired to fight in major conflicts. "So, you tried to follow these gunshots… and ended up lost?"

"Yeah!" He nods his head enthusiastically. "I just wandered around until I stumbled into you! Ah, speaking of… Miss, if you don't mind, what's your name?"

"Mukuro Ikusaba."

Makoto's face broke into a bright smile. He stuck out one of his hands for a handshake and said "Nice to meet you! I'm Makoto Naegi. I hope that we can get along!"

Stunned, Mukuro could only look back and forth between his unexpected grin and his outstretched hand. The soldier had been caught off-guard only a handful of times during her life, and all of those times had been from ambushes. But now here she was, struck dumb by a handshake and a smile. She couldn't help it - the last thing she would have expected to encounter in this empty wasteland was a genuine smile.

Slowly, Makoto's smile began to fade. "Not much for handshakes, huh? That's okay, but-"

That was as far as he got before Mukuro swiftly grabbed his retreating hand and began shaking it firmly, with a hint of urgency. For some reason, she felt the need to _ preserve _that smile. If shaking Makoto's hand was what it took, then she would do just that.

"Woah! That kind of came out of nowhere." Makoto gave off a short chuckle that managed to make her heart flutter momentarily. In all of her time as a Fenrir mercenary, she had never experienced something like this before. It made her feel almost _ vulnerable _ , which was ridiculous considering that _ this _person was the one making her like this.

Somehow, Mukuro managed to force herself to let go of his hand. She could feel her face growing red with warmth, as if she had just done a lengthy exercise, which only served to bewilder her even further.

"Hey… are you alright?" Makoto asks, looking down at his hand with worry. Dark red smudges had appeared on his palm when he pulled away. "There's blood on your hands. I have bandages if you need them."

Mukuro instantly curses herself for not cleaning up earlier. What would Makoto say if he found out that she was a killer? More than likely, he would run away from her and end up even more lost.

For some reason, that thought actually _ scared _her.

"Just a paper cut." Mukuro says quickly. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asks doubtfully. "Even paper cuts can become infected, right?"

"Really. I'm fine." She says firmly.

"Well, if you say so then." Makoto says. Inwardly, Mukuro lets out a sigh of relief.

"What do you say to helping me find my way back home? It's a town called Nowt." Makoto asks. He looked around, gripping the handles to his satchel as he did so. "I definitely wouldn't be able to get back by myself, at least not for a while."

Mukuro frowns. She had been given a map for her mission, but barely anything was labeled on it - just their camp, the cabin, and some landmarks. "I don't know where that is. Sorry, but I don't think that I could offer much help in getting you back home."

"Oh. Okay then… Thanks anyway. It was nice meeting you, Mukuro." Makoto says, visibly deflating. His face seemed to age a decade, and his previously hopeful eyes dulled. With a quiet sigh, he trudged past her. The sight of his sudden transformation caused something in her stomach to curl unpleasantly. She felt as if she had just kicked an injured puppy.

"H-Hey, wait a minute." Mukuro says. Makoto stops and turned around with a curious expression. What was she trying to do? She said it herself - she couldn't help him try to find his home. Even if she could, there wasn't much reason as to why she should help him. Her mission was to scout out the cabin and promptly return for a report, not help random journalists.

_ He looked so miserable when I rejected him. _ Mukuro thinks. _ I just want him to smile again… But damn it, why do I even care? _

"... Okay. I don't know where your home is, but I can try to help." Mukuro says quietly. "Would you let me accompany you?"

This would only serve to waste her time, and possibly even earn her a reprimand from her superiors. Hell, depending on how long this took, she could probably be declared MIA. Possibly even declared _dead_. It wasn't as if she was disobeying her orders, but she still knew that her superiors would disapprove of her getting side-tracked like this.

These things ran across her mind as she asked him. But when his eyes lit up, and that beautiful smile began to return, those doubtful thoughts vanished.

All that remained was a warm feeling of content.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier."

"... W-What? The Ultimate _ Soldier? _"

Mukuro sighs. She had hoped that things would be different here - with so many other people with crazy talents, shouldn't she be able to fit in? At least, somewhat? Sure, not everyone had talents related to killing, but there was an Ultimate Martial Artist, an Ultimate Secret Agent, and even an Ultimate Bodyguard. Hell, if the rumors that were floating around on the Hope's Peak website were true, there would be an Ultimate Assassin coming here next year.

It used to hurt, being treated like this by other people. But over the years, she had gotten used to it. It wasn't as if she could blame them. As a mercenary, she was _ paid _to kill. Even if she didn't have the talent of the Ultimate Soldier, she would still probably be treated as an outcast based on her job alone.

_ Well, at least I have Junko _ . Mukuro thinks as the person in front of her gapes. He was smiling at her before she introduced herself, which was kind of nice. But as expected, it faltered as soon as he found out that she was a killer. _ Junko understands me. That's all I need. _

"The Ultimate… Soldier." He repeats.

"Yes."

…

To Mukuro's surprise, his smile suddenly came back, and this time, it was larger than ever. His eyes seemed to literally glow. "Wow. You know, that's actually my talent too! I'd never have guessed that there would be another Ultimate Soldier here."

Mukuro blinks, dumbfounded. "What? You're… also…"

"Yeah! Oh, and my name is Makoto Naegi." Makoto says. "I'm glad to have met you. I hope that we can get along!"

And with that, he walked away, leaving Mukuro dumbstruck. It felt like her stomach was doing flips. Another Ultimate Soldier? How could she have not heard of another like her, in all of her time in Fenrir? If he was scouted for that talent, then he would _ have _to have been an active soldier. It seemed highly unlikely that the two of them would never have crossed paths.

She thought back to their conversation, and how he had acted. He seemed like a bright, optimistic person who had a child-like naivete. Pretty much the opposite of her. Pretty much the opposite of _ anyone _she had seen on the battlefield, really. The fact that he seemed so bright and chipper was almost as confusing as the fact that she had never heard of him.

_ Maybe I should try talking to him later. _Mukuro thinks, staring across the gym. Makoto was talking to her sister, Junko. Judging by her sly grin and Makoto's red face, it seemed like she was flirting with him. For some reason, the scene made her feel uncomfortable. She could feel her own cheeks redden slightly, and the uneasy feeling that was settling within her.

Normally, she didn't really care when Junko flirted with other men. It was just something she did to almost everyone she meets.

But now, looking at her teasing smile and Makoto's blush….

No, she didn't like it at all. Not a single bit.

* * *

She was on her way to the dining hall when she just happened to see Makoto walking into the gym. She had seen him go there several times before, throughout the school year. Every single time, he brought a blue duffel bag and was without any of his friends.

A small sense of curiosity rose in her as the gym doors close behind him. She had never actually seen what he did in there. Maybe now would be a good time to do some spying?

When she looked inside through the door window, she saw that he was the only one in there, and that he was holding what looked like a training dummy. Without even changing out of his jeans and hoodie, he began attacking it with strikes and kicks so fast that even Mukuro had trouble seeing his movements.

What impressed her the most was that he was putting obvious effort into his hits - the tendons on his necks were thick cords, and fierce concentration flared in his eyes. Despite that however, none of the hits seemed to damage the dummy. That meant that he had enough control over his strikes to minimize his power just before he hit the dummy.

Ten minutes passed, and Makoto continued training. He had no signs of exhaustion, aside from small beads of sweat that appeared on his neck.

_ He should probably change out of his hoodie and jeans. _ Mukuro thinks as she continues to observe him. _ Those types of clothes are too restrictive on his body. _

Suddenly, Makoto stops and puts his hand on the back of his neck. Then, as if he had heard her thoughts, he grips the collar of his hoodie and takes it off of him in one clean motion. Under it, he was wearing a thin white T-shirt that clung to his frame nicely. Mukuro's eyes began to wander as she looked at his newly uncovered form. His arms showed finely built muscle, but like her own arms, they weren't extremely toned, like some of the giant soldiers that she saw back at Fenrir's training grounds. There were hints of a six-pack visible through his shirt.

A jolt went through her heart as he suddenly turned his head and looked in her direction. She ducked under the window, hoping that he hadn't seen her…

_ … Why am I doing this? _ Mukuro thinks as she tries to slow her rapid breathing. _ Why am I hiding? Why am I looking in on his training? _

After a few seconds, she rose to her feet unsteadily, questions still racing about in her mind. When she looked back into the gym, she was horrified to see that Makoto was walking towards the door. If he hadn't seen her before, then he probably did now.

Without any hesitation, she opens the door and walks stiffly towards Makoto, who's eyes widened in surprise. Despite her actions, this was the _ last _thing that she would have thought of doing. It was like her body was being controlled by someone else.

"Makoto, will you spar with me?"

The question came out of her mouth before she even had a second to think about it. If she could, she would have grabbed those words and stuffed them right back in her mouth. But at the same time, something burned deep inside of her. She _ wanted _to do this. Some part of her was longing to train with him.

But would Makoto agree?

Mukuro found the answer as soon as his mouth curved upward, into that familiar smile. Her heart jolted again, and she found that the sensation was quickly becoming annoying.

"Well, if you want to, then sure!" Makoto says.

"Thank you, Makoto." She surprised herself by smiling back at him.

It was the first time that she had smiled at anyone other than Junko.

* * *

Mukuro could only stare at him as he talked and laughed with his friends. He stood in a semicircle with several other people, talking about anything and everything. He had a red and white 'santa' hat fit snugly on his head, covering his usually prominent ahoge. How was he so carefree, so innocent looking, so _ happy _? She knew now that before coming to Hope's Peak, he had fought in Russia for most of his life, which explained why she had never run into him - she mostly operated in Japan, and sometimes America.

Most of the war stories that she heard from him were brutal. Makoto always avoided sharing his stories whenever he could, but would always recite them to Mukuro if she asked. She had learned of dozens of his missions, and all of them were grueling tasks, and more often than not involved killing. Only during these times would his smile and demeanor turn downcast and sullen.

Most soldiers only needed to kill once before changing forever, for the worst. Mukuro had seen it happen time and time again to new recruits. But what made Makoto so special? So special that he could remain a positive outlook, even after so much terror? She couldn't fathom it.

Makoto turned his head and his eyes met hers. The all-too-familiar shock went off in her body again as his smile grew. He motioned with his hand for her to come over. Timidly, she shuffled over, gripping a white mug filled with hot chocolate between both of her hands. It was steaming hot, but she could barely feel the heat through her gloves.

"Hey, Mukuro." Sayaka smiled politely and waved as she came over to join their group. "Do you like the christmas party, so far? I did my best to decorate the room."

"Yeah. It looks good." Mukuro says noncommittally.

"It's great, Sayaka!" Makoto says. "Definitely a good way to celebrate the new year… and our last few days of the semester."

"I could have hired people to prepare the party, you know. It would have looked twice as good, and would have been done twice as fast" Byakuya huffs. "Really, what was the point in wasting time on this?"

"But Sayaka volunteered!" Aoi says. "I would have thought that you would be super pumped to get 'free labour', or something."

The affluent prodigy rolls his eyes. "Please. I'm rich because of my skills, not because I'm a miser."

Mukuro watched them bicker back and forth, occasionally sipping from her mug. She found their company enjoyable, but wondered if they returned the same feelings. She was all too aware of her own inability to contribute to conversations.

"Ah, Mukuro." Makoto says, pulling her out of her thoughts. "What are you going to do after the year is over? Are you returning to Fenrir?"

Mukuro shrugged. "My contract with them ended right before I moved here. I could probably go back, but it's not like I have to."

"Do you _ want _to?"

"... I don't know." After some slight hesitation, Mukuro looked up from her mug and at Makoto. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"I'm pretty much done with the soldier stuff. Luckily, I got paid a lot, so I can afford to quit." Makoto says. "I found a good place to stay at. It's actually kind of close to this school. I'm probably just going to live there in retirement or something… which is actually kind of weird, since I'm not even eighteen yet."

"That's… good." Mukuro says. "Maybe I'll end up doing the same. Junko would _ probably _let me stay at her house."

"Probably?" Sayaka asks. "She's your sister, isn't she? Why wouldn't she let you live with her?"

She winces and looks back down at her mug. Junko had always been prone to subjecting her to verbal and physical abuse, but most of it was harmless. She could have even written it off as simple teasing. But recently, it seemed like her sister was becoming more erratic, more violent. Whenever she had the courage to ask her about her behavior, Junko simply told her that she was 'working on a big plan' and shoved her aside. "It's complicated."

"Well… If you end up not having a place to stay, you could always live with me." Makoto says nonchalantly. "I don't mind housing you."

"W-What?" Mukuro stammers. "Live with you?"

"Yeah, if you want." Makoto smiles. "Don't worry, there's enough room for several people."

_ Where did this offer come from? _Mukuro thinks nervously.

"You don't have to decide on anything now." Makoto says.

"Yeah, okay." Mukuro says. She sets her empty cup down on a table next to her. "I'm… going to step outside for a moment. Sorry."

Before any of them could say another word, she pushes past them and quickly exits the room.

* * *

_ Did I make her uncomfortable? _ Makoto frowns, worry now filling his mind. Twenty minutes had passed and Mukuro was still nowhere to be seen. He began to wonder if she just left the party to spend the rest of the day in her dorms. _ Maybe I shouldn't have dropped that on her. That was kind of dumb of me, wasn't it? _

Without really thinking about it, he took off his santa hat and tossed it onto a couch. He went over to the door and quietly exited the room. Almost casually, he began to walk down the hallway, head occasionally turning left and right on the off-chance that Mukuro was still here.

When he eventually reached her dorm room, he gave it a single knock. When no one answered, he gave it three knocks. Then five. And when no one answered after that, Makoto just frowned and put his hands in his hoodie pocket. Either he had upset her much more than he originally thought, or she just wasn't in her room.

Makoto sighed. He couldn't even guess which one was more likely. He honestly didn't know what came over him, back at the party. The question just popped up, and he didn't really think about it before asking.

_ I don't really feel like partying anymore. _ Makoto thinks glumly. _ Maybe I should just go home. I'll call my friends later to explain. _

After a few minutes of wandering, Makoto got to the front doors of Hope's Peak. He didn't expect anyone to be around - most of faculty and students were either at the party, or at their homes. So he couldn't help but let out a small gasp as he saw Mukuro, next to the door. Her head was tilted downward, and her burrow was frowed, as if she were in deep thought.

"Mukuro?"

Her head tilted up and her eyes met his. They widened in surprise, just for a second. Then, she smiled softly and waved.

Confused, Makoto walked over to her. She didn't seem upset with him, which was weird. Did he overthink things after all?

"Hey, Mukuro. Is there something wrong?"

Mukuro shakes her head.

"Well, I was just wondering because you were gone for a pretty long time."

Sighing, Mukuro leaned back until her back was being supported by the wall behind her. "I was just… thinking. About what you said back there. If I actually do move in with you, then…. Well, I was worried about Junko."

"Junko?" Makoto echoes.

"..." Mukuro looks down. The hardest part about having Junko as a sister was that she somehow knew everything that you were thinking, and you didn't know _ anything _that she was thinking. Would she be glad that she moved out? Disgusted? Angry? It was hard to tell.

"Look, I'm sorry for, uh, asking that all of the sudden." Makoto says sheepishly. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't want to upset you or anything."

"Makoto, don't apologize. It's fine. And besides…" Mukuro's cheeks reddens. "I…. Well, living with you sounds…. Kind of nice."

…

"Wait, seriously?" Makoto blinks.

She nods. "I mean, I would definitely rather live with you then on the streets, or something. So, if you're really offering, then-"

"Oh. My. God."

Makoto and Mukuro both turn towards the sudden third voice. There, standing right in the open, Aoi gaped at them with wide eyes.

"You two… are going to live together?! And you guys are about to... " Aoi gasps. "That's… so cute!

"Aoi? What are you doing here?" Makoto asks.

"Well, I noticed that both of you were gone for a really long time, so I was starting to get worried." Aoi says. "So, I went out to look for you guys! And, here you are! About to… Oh! Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have interrupted the moment."

"M-Moment? What moment?" Mukuro asks.

"Well, the love confession!" Aoi says, as if it were obvious. "You know, half of the class were betting on whether or not something between the two of you would happen before the year ended. Glad to see that the two soldiers are finally getting together! Though, moving in already is kind of fast, don't you think?"

**"Love?!" **Both Mukuro and Makoto shout at the same time. They both turned to look at each other, before looking away to avoid eye-contact. Sudden blushes arose in the pair.

"Aoi, w-where did that come from?" Makoto stammers.

"Huh? Weren't you two about to kiss?" Aoi deadpans. "I mean, that plus the whole moving in thing…"

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Wait. Did neither of you see that?" Aoi asks, pointing above their heads.

Slowly, both Makoto and Mukuro turn their head upwards. Dangling on a string no more than a foot above them, was a bundle of mistletoe, bounded by a red ribbon.

Then, at the same time, they look back down at each other, eyes wide.

…

"M-Mukuro, I... Um, should we-"

That was about as far as he got before Mukuro grabbed his hands. Her hands shook with nervousness, and her eyes were both determined and confused at the same time. Her body was moving on its own, clearly a few steps ahead of her brain, which was still trying to process the mistletoe above them.

She closed her eyes and leaned in tilting her head slightly, ignoring an excited squeal from Aoi.

Makoto, after only a small moment of hesitation, does the same.

* * *

***A/N* Can't believe I just tried to write an entire relationship arc as a oneshot while skipping all of the fluff lol.**


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